Skills and Litigation

Discussion - 2 hours. This two-credit, skills-based course will offer students hands-on training in the fundamentals of negotiation and mediation, in the specific context of federal court-sponsored mediation. Although it is hardly news that most of today’s law school graduates will spend far more time negotiating than they will trying cases, the need for ADR training continues to outstrip supply. There is a particular need for trained negotiators and mediators in federal court, where it can take a half-decade for civil litigants to reach the courtroom.

Skills - This course is designed to teach students (1) the law that restricts and supports jury selection in criminal law trials (2) the most effective methods of engaging in jury selection (3) how to think critically and strategically about voir dire questioning and juror challenges.

Classroom Policies: This course has an attendance policy.
Grading Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Final Assessment: Other
Graduation Requirements: Counts towards Professional Skills Requirement.

Seminar – 2 hours. Much of our modern federal government relies on administrative agencies exercising authority delegated to them by Congress. Federal courts have traditionally deferred to agencies’ implementation of the statutes they administer, although these courts also set aside (or “vacate”) agency actions they find to be unlawful. In recent years, however, several justices on the U.S. Supreme Court have openly called for revisiting several administrative law doctrines that underlie this system.

Practicum - 2 hours. This practicum will focus on student's investigation, research, interviewing and client counseling skills. The course is an outgrowth of the UC Davis Humanizing Deportation Project, an interdisciplinary storytelling project that has catalogued over 200 stories of deported individuals throughout Mexico. Students will review the stories in the archive, research possible forms of immigration relief for deported individuals, and identify possible candidates for legal screening.

Discussion - 3 hours.

Seminar - 2 hours. Recent developments in neuroscience and psychology support the contention that we live in a world impacted by trauma. But lawyers are not often trained in recognizing how trauma affects our work. Trauma-informed lawyering is an approach to the practice of law that equips students with the knowledge and skills to navigate these difficult environments.

This course is for students with knowledge of basic criminal procedure, and are interested in further developing their legal skills while focusing on issues related to white-collar crime. The course will involve a real-world case involving bribery and other financially motivated crimes.  At the initiation of the case, the students will learn how to establish probable cause through cooperative witnesses to utilize the most universal tool in all criminal investigations: the search warrant.

Students who completed one semester of the Criminal Justice Practicum will work on claims of innocence, wrongful conviction, and other miscarriages of justice. Students will draft papers for prosecutors' offices, will make formal internal presentations, and possibly appear in court.

Graduation Requirements: May satisfy the Advanced Writing Requirement OR count towards the Professional Skills Requirement, student must choose one.
Final Assessment: Other (Briefs, motions, memoranda)
Grading Mode:  Letter Grading

All King Hall externships have two components. At the field placement, students handle legal assignments under supervision of an attorney. Under the supervision of a faculty advisor, students complete professional development assignments. See the Externship website for more information.

Discussion - 3 hours. This course will introduce students to a wide variety of alternative dispute resolution procedures, with an emphasis on negotiation, mediation, and arbitration. Although basic skills and effective strategies for each procedure will be discussed, the course will focus primarily on the laws and policies that affect how the procedures are structured and conducted. Successful completion of the course will prepare students for the widespread availability and growing popularity of ADR in almost every area of modern legal practice.